The slicing of silicon crystals into wafers suitable for use in photovoltaic cells has typically been carried out by two-body abrasion cutting (i.e., using a blade with abrasive particles bonded to it) or by three-body abrasion cutting (i.e., a process wherein abrasive particles are introduced between a blade and a workpiece, generally as an oil/abrasive particle slurry). Our U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,092,972 and 4,187,828 disclose a modification of these techniques using wire and rectangular blades having abrasive particles fixed in an abrasive-holding portion of the blade that is softer than the workpiece to be cut. The particles extend downward from the bottoms of the blades but not from the sides or top, to avoid waste of the abrasive and to minimize kerf width. Also shown in the patents is charging apparatus for embedding the particles into the lower portions of wires that are strung parallel on a support to form a bladehead, the embedding occurring either before or during cutting of a crystal ingot.